When Night Fell
by Exquisiteliltart
Summary: Regina reads Henry and Emma a mysterious bedtime story on Christmas. Written for Somewhat-ethereal for SQ board fic exchange.


**Summary: Regina reads Henry and Emma a mysterious bedtime story on Christmas. Written for Somewhat-ethereal for SQ board fic exchange. **

When the night falls  
I carry myself to the fortress  
Of your glorious cost  
Oh, I may seek your fortress ~Sufjan Stevens "Star of Wonder"

There was one gift left under the tree. Henry discovered it long after he had opened his actions figures and comics. He was certain it hadn't been there before. It was square, wrapped in plain parchment and tied with a single silver string.

"Mom, where did this come from?" Henry lifted the gift and waved it for Regina to see.

She stopped her clean-up of discarded wrapping paper and looked at the package. Something seemed familiar about it, but she was sure she hadn't placed it under the tree, "I'm not sure, Henry. Does it have a label?"

"Does what have a label?" Emma entered the living room carrying a tray of hot cocoa.

"This present," Henry held it up for Emma to see, "It doesn't say anything."

"Only one way to find out, kid, open it up," Emma encouraged as she sat the tray down on the coffee table and settled herself onto the couch.

Regina and Emma's agreement to spend Christmas with Henry (and by default, together) was going well, and the thick frost of discord between the women seemed to be melting.

Henry jumped up beside her and looked to Regina for permission. She gave a curt nod, and Henry tore through the brittle parchment unveiling a book.

"It looks old," Emma commented her lips turning downward as she traced the raised and faded star on the cover with her fingertip.

"It's a storybook," Henry flipped through the worn pages gazing quizzically at the rough black and white illustrations.

"Drink your cocoa. It's almost bedtime," Regina stated feeling slightly unsettled by yet another mysterious book finding its way to Henry. She took a deep breath and let her eyes flutter shut for a moment, letting her stress dissolve. It was just a book.

"Will you read it to me before I go to sleep, while we drink our cocoa?" Henry looked first to Regina and then to Emma. Christmas had been a blast with both his moms and he'd do anything to prolong the moment.

"Don't you want to play with some of your other presents?" Emma gestured to the huge pile of loot the kid had already all but forgotten.

"This looks cool," Henry insisted, sitting up in the middle of the couch. Regina made her way over and sat down next to Henry, taking the book in her hands.

"Mom, if you're reading it you need to sit in the middle so Emma can see the pictures too," Henry hopped up before anyone could argue and resettled himself on Regina's right side. Emma propped her head up on her elbow and tucked up her feet, sipping her cocoa with an amused glint in her eye. Henry was crafty and always trying to get his moms closer together.

Regina's placid look didn't betray her feelings, but the heat of Emma's feet tucked under her thigh felt extremely intimate. She focused on the book, and began to read without preamble:

_Once upon a time a fair and righteous Queen ruled the Western lands. Her kingdom was an oasis of peace and plenty. None of her subjects were for want of food as the harvests were bountiful. The people were pure. _

"Do all stories start with 'Once upon a time?" Henry interrupted with a yawn. Regina stroked his hair settling her hand on his back.

"I suppose all stories have to start somewhere," Emma drawled and leaned forward to put her cup back on the tray. She casually placed her arm on the back of the couch behind Regina and nestled in closer.

"Indeed they do. Shall we?" Regina shifted re-crossing her legs, and clearing her throat before continuing.

_The time of peace soon came to an end. A strong and evil curse befell the Western lands. Some said it was the Queen's own mother who cursed her and the people. Some said it was another force which could not be named, and some said it the Queen herself who enacted the dark curse. The night fell swiftly over the lands and day did not come. Days of night turned into months. A lasting winter of ice and darkness plagued the entire kingdom. The birds fled first, and the animals began to migrate. Some starved as they crossed the desolate wasteland in search of nourishment. The Queen's subjects, unable to hunt or grow, soon abandoned the dark kingdom in search of light and hope. Many died…_

Emma whispered in Regina's ear, hair tickling her neck softly, "Are we sure this story is appropriate? I mean people starving and stuff?"

"Just look at the illustrations if the words are too much for you to handle," Regina sassed playfully, her body moving subtly nearer Emma. It was a refreshing change to let her guard down and let Emma be close.

"Will you hold me if I get scared," Emma purred into Regina's ear this time in a decidedly more seductive tone. An involuntary shiver ran through Regina as she locked eyes with the blonde for a long moment until Henry interrupted them.

"Sometime today," Henry rolled his eyes and kicked his feet impatiently while Regina reluctantly broke her gaze and tried to focus once more on the story.

_The Queen's heart was frozen in her chest. She still lived, but ice ran through her veins and with it came an ever present pain: a stark coldness. The darkness manifested in her deeply twisting her soul. For in the absence of light and warmth evil took up residence within her. She was distraught that her once bright and shining land had succumbed to and been ravaged by a curse. She spent every waking moment trying to break it. The Queen was herself a powerful sorceress, but she had no success. Many tried to break the dark curse, many died…_

"This story is seriously cryptic," Emma flicked at the page that showed the Queen dressed in furs and clutching mournfully at her icy heart. Emma's thumb happened to circle briefly over Regina's knuckles. She flexed her toes under Regina's thigh, "Good thing I'm nice and toasty."

"I wouldn't like living somewhere where it was never day," Henry chimed in, his face wrinkling in confusion as he leaned in to look at the illustration. "That Queen looks just like you mom."

"I'm sure not- she just has dark hair," Regina said dismissively.

"No, she really does…hmm." Emma leaned in now closer to the study the drawing.

"We're going to be up until midnight at this rate," Regina chastised them both by pulling the book up to her chest and hiding the picture.

_Knights, princes and even kings traveled from far off lands to come to the Queen's aid, bringing strong potions and magicks that were said to break curses. No fire could be sustained in the Western kingdom, once the valley of night was crossed all flame extinguished. The lands remained barren and silent. The Queen fretted, growing mad and angry in her fortress, now covered in thick gleaming ice. She had neither food nor fire, but she did not die- though as lonely, cold and bereft as she felt she called for death's mercy often. Not even Death herself would cross the Western land. _

"Geez, this is really a buzzkill," Emma smacked her lips and gently rested her head on Regina's shoulder. Regina flinched and tensed up, then slowly relaxed a bit as she adjusted to the new but not unpleasant feeling.

"I'm getting tired, but I want to know the ending," there was a slight whine in Henry's voice. He crawled closer into Regina's side looking to rest against her as well. Regina quickly read through a few pages seeing more bleakness and failed attempts at curse breaking that she decided to skip.

_At least a decade had passed and the earth remained bathed in night. Time passage was impossible to assess, for without the rise and set of the sun there was no way for the Queen to tally. The Queen was trembling and wretched. She clung to shreds of memories as she sat on her once regal throne, frozen in place, unable to move. She stared through the large arched window of her ice fortress and into the ever present night. The shining stars were her only source of light, and even they appeared to be slowly drowning as time ceased to pass. _

"Seriously?"

Henry and Regina both shushed Emma together.

_In a distant land, ruled by the King and Queen of Holly and Ivy, their princess grew. She heard tales of the night lands from her tutors and hushed and pitied whispers of the Evil Queen who remained in her palace frozen like a statue. The young princess had a heart for adventure, and longed to explore far off lands. She was a stubborn girl, often skipping her etiquette classes in favor of extending her riding or broadsword lessons. No one in the kingdom, least of all the King and Queen understood why the Holly Princess wasted her fairy wish and asked to become a knight. A fairy wish was guaranteed and the Princess's gown transformed into a suit of armor in an instant. A knight was not a true knight until a quest was completed. _

_The Holly Knight knew without doubt her own destiny. She had envisioned the cold and darkness in her dreams as if it were real. She'd wake in the night freezing cold reliving the dreams, her breath visible in the air. The beautiful frozen face of the Queen haunted her. She did not know how, but she would break the curse of the night land and free the Queen, or she would die in attempt. The Holly princess had never wanted for anything. She had never known the darkness or cold, her soul being from a land of perpetual summer. Some would say this meant she was ill prepared to contend with the darkened wasteland, but others said her warm heart and white soul was what enabled her to make the journey cradled in the arms of safety. _

_The Holly King and Queen tried fruitlessly to stop their daughter from embarking on her quest. She was as determined as she was stubborn in her resolve. She donned the strongest suit of armor and the warmest of furs. She traveled by sleigh led by finely bred light footed reindeer. The princess had her first doubts as she crossed the night border. The cold stung her cheeks and prickled her eyes. Her sleigh did not slow though the urge to turn back was strong._

_Legend held that no light could cross into the desolate Western kingdom, and the knight waited for her tiny lantern to extinguish. It did not, the tiny beacon of light grew brighter as her sleigh raced over the steep hills and long stretches of flat snow covered land. There were no ogres or dragons to slay, the darkness had driven away all creatures, the silence and cold were the enemies in this battle. The knight princess put her faith into the lone solitary light she carried. Her fingers numbed and her skin felt frozen in the face of the roaring wind. Her reindeer kicked up clouds of pure white snow as they carried her across the lands. _

_The darkness whispered to her, calling through the void and giving voice to creeping doubt and hopelessness. Her quest seemed impossible. The curse that plagued the land was said to be everlasting. She saw the faces of the many men who had come to this land before her. She felt their pain as the darkness drowned and overtook their hope. Time passed slowly in inky shadow and devastating cold. She held her lamp higher and continued, resolute and faithful. _

_The path became unmanageable for her sleigh and reindeer. They reared and balked at the edge of a steep cliff that passed to the mountains surrounding the Queen's fortress. With great trepidation the knight princess parted from her sleigh and journeyed alone up the mountain. She stumbled many times, falling to her knees and with each time the desire to stay down grew stronger. The dark was oppressive, pushing and seeping into her mind and soul. Even still her light did not extinguish. _

_She did not know she had reached ice castle until she found herself at its door. The ice was smooth and thick. She leaned against it, though it would not budge. It was frozen solid. The cold stole her breath away, weakening her resolve but never destroying it. She could feel the presence of the Queen in her heart. The knight princess drew her sword and chipped away at the ice, her progress minimal. She roared in frustration and her sword ignited in a blaze of fire. The blade became white with heat melting the ice. The hardened wall began to crack the ice shattering in chunks and slivers raining down on her. She shielded herself from the onslaught. The knight princess gained access to the castle just as the great wall of ice descended in a mighty slide down the side of the fortress smashing onto the ground. _

_She felt a renewed sense of purpose as she explored the dark castle, her blazing sword illuminating passageways. She ascended the grand staircase up to the throne room. The silence was all consuming as she entered the throne room. She walked briskly down the long aisle and shivered in the stillness somehow feeling colder than ever before. _

"Where's the Queen?" Henry asked in a scandalous whisper.

"Getting to it," Emma replied, her arms now fully embraced Regina and Henry was tucked neatly into her other side.

_There upon the throne the Queen sat unmoving, her face impossibly beautiful and impossibly sad. A thin sheen of sparkling ice covered her skin. Her dark eyes were open but unseeing as the princess approached. She knelt before the Queen in reverence, and the possibility that she was too late to save her entered her mind. She crawled up the icy throne and touched the frozen furs that swaddled the dark Queen. The knight princess did not know what to do. Her mind wandered to a long ago remembrance of a nursery rhyme singing of true love's kiss breaking any curse. Hot tears sprung to her eyes as this Queen- her Queen- was surely dead and the knight princess had failed her quest. _

_She touched the Queen's frozen cheek and leaned in compelled to try, for the knight princess had faith despite all. She knew the Queen's heart from her dreams. She had felt the pain and loneliness that resided with her. She pressed her warm lips to the Queen's which were colder than death. A pulse thudded through her head as a light emanated between their bodies…_

"True love's kiss again? Boring!" Henry rolled his eyes in disappointment and stretched his arms over his head.

"What's wrong with true love's kiss?" Regina looked at him and asked curiously.

"It's like so predictable. I thought the knight and the Queen were going to fight or something cool," Henry yawned rapidly losing interest in the story.

"This is a fairytale not one of your comics, Henry," Regina reminded gently.

"The knight's blazing sword is pretty cool," Emma murmured against Regina's shoulder sounding half-asleep herself.

Regina shook her head, "Shall I finish or are you going to bed now?"

"Finish," Emma and Henry both said anxiously, neither really wanting the story to end, both being incredibly comfortable.

_The knight princess pulled away as the Queen's skin began to warm and the evil that had taken up residence was drawn from her lips in a swirl of evaporating breath. She gasped as air filled her frozen lungs at long last. Against all odds, a golden unbreakable bond had formed between the knight princess and the Queen. The Queen recognized the knight princess from her dreams, but could not believe that her suffering had really ended. The curse broke as solar fire shot skyward and broke through the darkness splitting it down the middle like mighty lightning. _

_The darkness fell away and the light bathed the Western lands once more. The Holly King and Queen rejoiced and knew the quest had been accomplished when their emissaries returned with news of the light. _

_The Queen embraced her savior, their love pure and shining outward. There they stayed in the reborn land. The birds and animals slowly returned when the snow fell away replaced with the green of spring. The people returned and the Holly kingdom united with the newly crowned realm of the two Queens. No one was ever cold or lonely again, and they lived happily ever after…The End. _

"Well that was a bit much…" Emma deadpanned before she noticed with alarm that Regina was sniffling and trying to wipe away tears.

"Henry, are you ready for bed now that the story is over?" Regina sniffled again and closed the book hard.

"Yeah, I guess," Henry could barely keep his eyes open, but he was still disappointed that Christmas was over, and his moms would probably go back to how things were before.

"I should go, it's really late," Emma untangled herself from Regina both women missed the warmth of contact immediately.

"Can Emma help tuck me in?" Henry asked blinking his tired eyes at Regina. Regina nodded and smiled warmly, and Henry took both his mom's hands in his and led them upstairs.

After Henry was tucked safe and warm into bed and Merry Christmas and goodnights were said, Emma exited his room and Regina closed the door behind her.

"Where did I leave my keys?" Emma asked unable to remember.

"Ms. Swan, I can't very well send you out into the cold, dark night at this hour," Regina looked to the floor hoping Emma would understand what she was trying to ask.

"I can stay and keep you warm tonight?" Emma touched Regina's hand and smiled, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Regina pulled her into a tight hug in answer, and they melted into the embrace. Emma pulled back and searched Regina's eyes. True love's kiss echoed in her mind and she acted on her thought leaning in and letting their lips meet in a soft kiss full of faith and promise.

The gold large star on the cover of the mysterious book glowed bright with light. In the morning, when they awoke and came down for a shared breakfast of pancakes and laughter, the book was gone.


End file.
